Did Iran offer drones to the Polisario ?

Supporters of the Polisario celebrated yesterday on social media the «reception» of a drone supposedly bought from Iran. They shared an image of an unmanned aircraft bearing the Front's flag and the map of Western Sahara, parked on an unnamed airbase. Enthusiastic audio messages claim the arrival of a squadron of drones from Iran, as well as missiles.

But this euphoria is based on fake news. In reality, the original photo (doctored by Polisario supporters) was taken by AFP in March 2021 in Iraq, specifically at the Ain Al-Assad airbase located in the Sunni province of Al Anbar. The location also hosts units of the United States Army. Last January, Shiite militias close to Iran had launched missiles and rockets at the base, in retaliation «for the Israeli aggression on Gaza».

This new misinformation campaign comes almost two months after Polisario elements active on social media circulated an audio message supported by photos of an alleged Royal Armed Forces (FAR) drone, which was supposedly shot down by a missile fired by the Front's militias.

However, the official statements of the separatist movement did not mention this «great success» in the «war against Morocco», launched since November 13, 2020. This silence was eventually broken by a Polisario media outlet recognizing that «the information about the Moroccan drone shot down by the Sahrawi army is unfounded», specifying that the photos date from August 2020. They indeed show an unmanned aircraft belonging to the United States Army and not to Morocco. The drone, stationed at an American base in Niger, had fallen due to a technical failure, announced the United States Army.